What is a community hub

A community hub makes it easier for local residents to access the health, social, cultural, recreational and other resources they need together in one spot. It can be located in a physical building or accessed through a digital service.

Community hubs serve as a central access point, which:

  • offer services in collaboration with different community agencies and service providers
  • reduce administrative duplication
  • improve services for residents and are responsive to the needs of their communities

Whether in a high-density urban neighbourhood or an isolated rural community, each hub is as unique as the community it serves and is defined by local needs, services and resources.

Community hub locations

Many community hubs already exist across the province. Use the Community Mapper to discover what exists in your community.

Not on the map yet? Click on the 'Add My Hub' link in the Mapper.

Background

In March 2015, Premier Kathleen Wynne appointed Karen Pitre as Special Advisor on Community Hubs as well as a Community Hubs Framework Advisory Group.

The purpose of the advisory group was to identify provincial barriers to creating community hubs and offer recommendations for reducing these barriers and supporting community hub development.

In August 2015, Karen Pitre and the advisory group presented a plan to the Premier that included 27 recommendations on how to support community hub development.

The government committed to implementing all of the recommendations.

Resources

If you're a new or growing community hub, visit CommunityHubsOntario.ca for information on:

  • how to develop partnerships
  • how to operate sustainable hubs
  • how to measure outcomes
  • skills training and professional development
  • data and tools for community planning
  • connecting with others who have been there before

CommunityHubsOntario.ca is run by Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health with support from the Government of Ontario.

Surplus Property Transition Initiative

The Surplus Property Transition Initiative is a government program that helps organizations and groups hold publicly owned properties, such as provincial properties, schools or hospital that are no longer in use or have been deemed surplus, for up to 18 months. Learn more about the SPTI.

The Facilitation Program

The Facilitation Program supports community capacity building by providing facilitation services to enable the development and operation of sustainable and viable community hubs in Ontario.

The program has an open intake application process and applications will be reviewed based on the eligibility and evaluation criteria.

For more information, read the program guidelines and application form.

Strategic framework and action plan (2015)

This report includes 27 recommendations to enable community hub creation in Ontario. It summarizes what the Premier’s Community Hubs Framework Advisory Group heard when they met with community members and key stakeholders.

One-year progress update (2016)

Read about the progress made by the government of Ontario and its partners since the release of the 2015 Community Hubs in Ontario: A Strategic Framework and Action Plan.

Two-year progress report (2017)

Read about the progress made by the government of Ontario and its partners in the Two-Year Progress Report on Community Hubs in Ontario: A Strategic Framework and Action Plan.